Chemo #4 is on Monday. I can’t believe that this day is already so close. When life is lived while broken down into week cycles (chemo week, recovery week, “normal” week), it tends to move pretty quickly. I’ve been very impatient during the last two weeks since I now feel like the end is in sight. It occurred to me recently that I haven’t really left the Jackson-Metro area since November (with the exception of a trip to Eupora at Christmas) – I’m beyond ready to recover and feel like I’m off my leash! Chemo #3 was very much the same as #2. I feel a little boring saying the same thing over…

2 down. 2 more to go. To the halfway point. Number three is next week. The second treatment has mimicked the first in many ways. The infusion itself was uneventful and smooth. I felt completely normal for the first 2 1/2 days, and then fatigue started coming in waves, peaking on the evening of day 5 and totally gone by day 8. No painful mouth issues, but my taste fluctuated over the first 14 days. Appetite held steady. A rash or two, and some skin dryness. But, this cycle was different in one major way…I lost my hair. It started coming out on day 15. Though I tried to be prepared for this,…

Chemo, round 1 complete. 25% done. 3 more to go. Details about how I have felt directly follow. If you’re more of a casual reader (or really don’t need this many details about my life *insert winky face emoji* ), follow this link to skip to closing (*insert thumbs-up emoji*). Infusion day – anticlimactic (as expected). The drugs take about 2 hours give or take to infuse. I get asked often about a port, but I don’t have one and won’t get one unless something unforeseen happens. I have strong, healthy veins and am prayerful they stay that way. I felt great post-infusion (thanks to a big ole bag of decadron). Ate well.…

Our 2016 ended with the news that even though my tumor was found early (stage 1), I will still require chemotherapy to reduce my risk of recurrence. Many factors weigh into this decision, and I am not entering into this flippantly. My mantra lately has been “temporary discomfort for long-term peace of mind”. The kids go back to school tomorrow, I will go back to my real office, and Ashley’s home office will be a bit more quiet and productive for him. Life is going to keep moving. I feel really good. Everything will be just the same, yet nothing will be just the same. I have a joyful heart, but…

Hello friends. I realize that it has been a while since I’ve posted any updates. There are many reasons for this – my brain being foggy from anesthesia being the main one! I’ll jump right in, and we’ll see how this goes 🙂 Timeline: Nov. 4 – diagnosis Nov. 7 – met with surgeons and decision for double mastectomy and reconstruction made Nov. 14 – surgery at Women’s Hospital Nov. 15 – discharged from hospital Nov. 15 – 21 – a complete blur (my apologies if you spoke to me or visited during this time!) Nov. 22 – follow-up appointment with general surgeon – pathology back from surgery – Grade…

I have breast cancer. The cancer was found by the miracle of a screening MRI – which almost wasn’t ordered – which was scheduled even after my mammogram in September came back clean – I am 37 years old, most people my age haven’t even had a mammogram yet. I’m by no means happy about this, but my heart cannot quit being thankful that this was found now instead of years from now. What we know now is that I have a 1 cm tumor that is grade 1 ductal carcinoma. I also have two very small spots on my other side that can’t be seen on ultrasound to biopsy. My…